Day 326, Year 10: Day Three with Sam, Jonah, and Oliver
Date: Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Weather: Sunny with Bright Blue Skies, Temp 80’s F, Wind 10 SSW
Location: Moored in the Outer Harbor, Cuttyhunk Island, MA
Tomorrow will be the last day of our sailing vacation with the Goldpebbles. We thought we were stretching it by doing four days and nights, but I think all three boys would be fine for a full week. I’m sure they miss mommy and daddy and are anxious to get home, but none of them has mentioned that. They have had happy days, and other than a misjudgment on our part tonight, the nights have been happy as well. The only wake-up during the night was last night with Ollie asking for water. But once I gave him a drink, he was back to sleep in a wink. So just before bed tonight we gave each boy three hip-hip-hurray’s for doing such a great job. We celebrated Ollie going to sleep at night in his own little ‘bunk’ (although he ends up with Oma after he goes to sleep), Sam being able to start the dinghy motor, and Jonah’s willingness to now drive the dinghy and to try and start it (and he almost did it once today). And then it was little Ollie that suggested that they give four hip-hip-hurray’s for Oma and Granddad, two for Oma and two for Granddad. He sure knows how to make points. Sometimes Ollie does and says things way beyond his three years. This morning the boys were talking about all of the things they ‘needed’ in order to have a good day. Ollie chimed in saying, “All I need is love.” Where that came from is way beyond me!
Since the boys have been sleeping in a little longer than usual, our mornings have been getting off to a bit of a slow start. Sam always gets up first, then Jonah and Granddad, and then Ollie and me. Since I am the Captain Cook (Sam’s new name for me), breakfast doesn’t happen until I get up. This morning after breakfast, we all headed to shore to walk up to the lighthouse. There were ripe blackberries along the path, but it was much too prickly for Jonah and Ollie to pick their own. Sam won’t touch a berry or any of what he calls ‘wet fruit’, so he missed out on that treat. At the top of the hill we reached the lighthouse. At one point in time, there was a lighthouse, an oilhouse, a keeper’s home, and a fog bell. All that is left now is the lighthouse. The current tower was built in 1891, but the lighthouse has been in existence since 1759. We walked around the lighthouse and then followed a stone wall that led us to an old cemetery. The gravestone was for Joseph Gane who died on September 10, 1817. Jonah noted that he had the same initials as himself, JG. Sam constantly reminded us to be respectful and not walk on the graves. And Ollie had a million questions about what it means to be dead. Whew! I was glad when we then walked back to the lighthouse. But we found the herd of cattle that graze here blocking our path. One of them was particularly upset with our arrival and his bellow scared the boys. Sam walked on with Granddad, Jonah reluctantly followed, but Ollie needed me to carry him through the herd. Once through that little dilemma, we successfully reached the beach and the dinghy.
After having lunch in Tarpaulin, Granddad raised the anchor with the help of three deck hands and we were off for Cuttyhunk. It was time for Ollie’s nap but he insisted that he needed to go on the foredeck with Sam and Jonah and look at the water. Once we got up there, I realized that I might be able to get him to nap on deck. So I went back for a blanket and pillow. For a bit he layed on his stomach and just stared out at the water. There was a gentle “swish, swash’ sound as we motored into the calm sea and before I knew it, he was sound asleep. I laid down beside him to make sure he didn’t roll overboard, but then Sam and Jonah joined us. Sam took my place beside Ollie and actually fell asleep. Jonah rested but didn’t sleep and I put up a sunscreen to keep them all from boiling in the sun. I used the piece of material I bought in Thailand and have used as a portable sunscreen ever since and some study clothespins to make the sun cover. How delightful it was to watch the boys enjoying the sights and sounds as we moved through the water. It was one of life’s most peaceful moments.
Once we reached Cuttyhunk, we headed to town to get ice cream cones and broccoli to have with dinner. We then went to the beach and wiled away the remainder of the afternoon. The plan for the evening was to watch the movie, E.T., while eating dinner. This was the misjudgment on our part. E.T. was much too scary for Sam. Ollie and Jonah wanted to watch it, but Sam almost had a complete breakdown just listening to the movie. I had forgotten just how scary the movie was and felt terrible for making that choice. But everyone survived and we had s’mores to top off the evening. That made up for the misjudgment in the choice of a video.
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| 150901 Day 326 Cape Cod, USA–Tarpaulin Cove to Cuttyhunk |
